Two men described as “associates” of the suspect in a quadruple homicide in Tennessee earlier this week have been arrested on suspicion of helping the fugitive, authorities said Saturday.
Special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation arrested Tanaka Brown on Friday and Giovonte Thomas on Saturday, the agency said.
Brown and Thomas, both 29 and from Jackson, have been charged with accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, the bureau said in a statement. Brown also faces one count of tampering with evidence.
Brown is being held without bond in Lake County Jail. Thomas will be transferred there from the Madison County Jail, where he was being held on an unrelated charge of failure to appear, the bureau said.
The two men are accused of helping Austin Robert Drummond, 28, who remained at large Saturday night. Authorities have been searching for Drummond in connection with the deaths of four people Tuesday in Tiptonville.
The four bodies were discovered after an infant was found abandoned in a car seat in Dyer County, setting off a scramble to find the baby’s guardians, Stephen Sutton, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s offices in Lake and Dyer counties, said at a Friday news conference.
“The baby is safe and is being cared for,” Sutton said.
Drummond has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, possession of a gun during a dangerous felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Drummond was out on bond when the killings took place, Danny Goodman, district attorney for Dyer and Lake counties, said Friday.
He had been released on bond related to an incident that allegedly took place in prison, where he was serving time for aggravated robbery, Goodman said.
It’s not clear whether Drummond, Brown or Thomas have retained legal counsel. The public defender’s office for the judicial district that covers Lake and Dyer counties was not available to provide information late Saturday.
Drummond is described as armed and dangerous, and anyone who spots him was asked to call 911.
“Getting Austin Drummond in custody is a priority,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Two vehicles associated with Drummond have been found, authorities said. A white 1988 Ford pickup with red side panels was located in Dyer County on Saturday, and authorities are asking anyone with security video of the truck to send it to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Drummond’s white 2016 Audi A3 was found abandoned Friday in Jackson, about 74 miles southeast of Tiptonville, the bureau said.
He is believed to still be in the Jackson area, bureau Director David B. Rausch said Friday.
“This incident has this community on edge,” Rausch said.
Jackson is about 87 miles northeast of Memphis.
Authorities have previously identified the victims as Matthew Wilson, 21, the abandoned child’s father; Adrianna Williams, 20, the mother; Cortney Rose, 38, the maternal grandmother; and Braydon Williams, 15, the maternal uncle.
Authorities haven’t said how they died but have described their deaths as the result of murder.
“There is a familial relationship between the suspect and the family,” Rausch said.
A relative of the victims said Thursday in a Facebook post that the suspect has “literally been nothing short of amazing to us and our kids.” According to the post, Drummond previously dated a sister of Rose.
Rausch said the suspect showed a sign of compassion — dropping the child off — so “there is hope for him to be able to come in and have a conversation about what happened.”
